-What did you already know? What did you learn?
At the start of this course I knew that as educators we are also life long learners. Professional development is where we grow as educators and it is important to continue to improve our practice. Professional development is also required in-order-to keep your certification. School districts offer many opportunities throughout the school year for teachers to get recertification credits whether it be through a workshop in state or out-of-state or trainings at their homeschool itself. I never fully understood the extent of planning for professional development.
Another thing that I was familiar with before beginning this course were the ISTE standards. I was introduced to them by a co-worker. At the beginning of this course all I knew was that the ISTE standards existed. During this course I began to see the connection the ISTE standards had with the Common Core. Many of the verbs used in the Common Core standards can also be found in the ISTE standards. “The Common Core and state content standards require online assessment and call on educators to embed technology more naturally into the learn and teaching process.” (ISTE, 2015). Digital learning is becoming more of a focus in schools today because of the demand of the Common Core.
One other thing I knew going into this course was the cost of technology tools and equipment. Many schools are not equipped with technology simply because their school budgets cannot afford the cost of it all. I learned about the costs of different configurations and the pros and cons about each configuration. It surprised me just how much it costs to supply your school with technology. Another interested idea I learned from this course was the idea of BYOD. I had never heard of that before and the push towards this idea in schools today is growing. It was very interesting to read about peoples ideas of BYOD and weighing the pros and cons of this idea. As the years go by, more students have access to some sort of technology device, whether it be a tablet, iPad, or Smart Phone access to these devices are becoming easier as the costs of these devices goes down. “The most exciting aspect of mobility tools in the K-12 is the opportunity for schools to liberate young learners from the limitations of the classroom.” (K-12 Blueprint, 2015).
-What will you put into your own practice as an educator to strengthen them?
As an educator I plan to incorporate the ISTE standards in all my lessons now. Since I am teaching at a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) school I feel that it is important to incorporate these standards into my everyday teaching. I will use my knowledge to train other teachers on these standards and how to implement them into the classroom. I will use the TPACK model to better incorporate technology into my classroom as well. Learning about the different approaches to TPACK helped me see how I can create and implement units in my classroom. I plan on using the TPACK approaches while planning my next unit.
-Why is it so important to continue to perfect the technology integration craft and develop professional development to support this?
“Teaching is a job that encourages your own growth because to do it well requires your own continuous education.” (Wolpert-Gawron, H., 2009). Technology is changing everyday so in order to keep up, teachers must continue to develop professional development to support this. Immersing oneself in technology and continuing to learn about the endless possibilities of how to incorporate it into your classroom through professional development is what is going to keep that 21st-Century student engaged and motivated to learn. Keeping up with the latest research and continuing to educate yourself on the most current research when it comes to integrating technology and not where you should stop. Educating yourself is a great way to stay current now you must educate those around you and implement these practices into your classroom.
References:
ISTE. (2015). Digital learning in a standards world: A closer look at the Common Core and state content standards. Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/advocacy/public-policy/common-core
K-12 Blueprint. (2015). Mobility Emerges as the Next Wave of K-12 Education Innovation. Retrieved from: http://www.k12blueprint.com/sites/default/files/Mobility_Next_Wave_K-12_Innovation.pdf
Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2009). What I love about teaching. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-lifelong-learner
Erin,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned a lot of great things to think about! The first concept that caught my attention was the fact that we are life-long learners. We learn each day in our classrooms, but professional development activities are a large part of our professional and personal growth. By attending meaningful PD, we are more likely to learn and integrate what we learn more often. Like you, I also took away a much stronger idea of what goes into planning for professional development.
Nice job!
Jess
I'm glad that you mentioned the ISTE standards in your post. While we spend a considerable amount of time discussing CCSS and other applicable standards, we (or at least my own district/school), do not mention these standards. Interestingly enough, we use the language of the standards. With this in mind, we should be using the specific standards in our lessons and departmental work in order to ensure that all indicators are being met. As I write this post I am also thinking this: How do we assess these standards? Where do we communicate student progress and growth for these standards to parents and families?
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